Where to Do Research in Salem A Brief Guide for the Beginner

Salem Historical Society Assembled by David Moffat Spring 2016

Salem Historical Society | 9 North Street, Salem | salemmahistory.org | [email protected] CONTENTS

Introduction In Salem The Phillips Library () Salem Public Library - Salem History Room Salem Athenæum Essex County Registry of Deeds Historic Salem, Inc. The House of the Seven Gables The Witch House Cemeteries (in rough chronological order) Other Historic Houses Outside of Salem Beverly Historical Society Danvers Archival Center, The Peabody Institute Library of Danvers The Essex Society of Genealogists Lynn Museum & Historical Society Marblehead Museum & Historical Society Historic State Archives & Massachusetts Historical Commission The Massachusetts Historical Society Cemeteries (in neighboring communities) - Beverly Danvers Lynn Marblehead Peabody

Swampscott

1 Introduction

For those doing research on the ground in Salem, there are a number of resources available, so many so that it can be confusing. This guide is intended to give a quick overview of places to conduct re- search in Salem, what can be found in them, and how to contact the establishments. Included also are several locations outside of Salem with collections that bear some significance to the history of Salem, including communities which were once part of Salem, communities which border Salem, and archives pertaining to all of Massachusetts.

Figure 1: The Phillips Library, April 2015

2 In Salem

The Phillips Library (Peabody Essex Museum)

The Phillips Library is currently the best place to do research in Salem, as it has the combined archives of the and the which merged in 1992 to form the Peabody-Essex Museum. The library’s official location, Plummer Hall on Essex Street, has been closed for renovations since 2011. Currently the collections can be accessed at a temporary location at 1 Second Street, Peabody, Massachusetts. This reading room can be accessed on Wednesdays and Thursdays between 10 and 4:30 PM. Researchers can also apply for “Visiting Researcher” status using an application on the Peabody Essex Museum website, which allows them to make appointments to use the collections on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays. There are papers from the witchcraft trials, documents relating to , a large collection of early photographs of Salem, and ship logs and registers from the Great Age of Sail. An overview of the library’s specialties can be found at http://pem.org/library/ collections/subject_strengths. Queries can be directed to [email protected] or 978-745-9500 ext. 3053.

Figure 2: The Phillips Library, April 2015 3 Figure 3: The Salem History Room, January 2016

Salem Public Library - Salem History Room

Located on the third floor of the Salem Public Library, at 370 Essex Street, to use the Salem History Room, one need only ask the librarian at the desk at the top of the stairs for permission, which is quickly granted if the room is available. The virtue of the Salem History Room is a large collection on published works relating to the history of Salem gathered in one place. There are a number of Salem Directories, city documents, genealogies, registers of Revolutionary War soldiers, the vital records of various towns, and a great number of books on Salem architecture and Nathaniel Hawthorne. There are also the Lists of Polls or “nosy books,” which list the residents at various properties registered to vote each year from 1935 to the present.

4 Salem Athenæum

A private membership library based on the collection of Richard Kirwin captured by a Salem privateer in 1780. The library today has over 50,000 volumes. There are some resources about Salem history. Arrangements to research there can be directed at 978-744-2540.

The Southern Essex District Registry of Deeds

Located on Congress Street in the Shetland Park industrial park, research inquiries can be addressed by speaking to the clerks at the front desk or by calling 978-542-1704. However, the entire collections of the registry are located online and can be accessed at http://salemdeeds.com. To do historical research, use the Pre-1979 Indices. Sometimes the page numbers aren’t perfectly accurate, but if you go several pages before and after, you can find the deeds you need.

Historic Salem, Inc.

Historic Salem, Inc. is a preservation organization dating back to 1944. Their office is the Nathaniel Bowditch House at 9 North Street, behind The Witch House. The primary resource at Historic Salem, Inc. are house histories, of which there are 33 binders, with research ranging from 1966 to the present day. The histories were prepared for historic plaques and vary in their information. Many of the earliest contain scans from deeds, scans from Atlases and Sanborn Fire Maps, and plans of property lines. Others have reference to Salem directories. Some of the later histories are more narrative. Currently they are unarchived. The Salem Historical Society is working with Historic Salem, Inc. to digitize and publicize the contents of the histories. They can be contacted at 978-745-0799.

5 Figure 4: The grounds of The House of the Seven Gables, February 2015 The House of the Seven Gables

The archives at The House of the Seven Gables pertain only to The Gables and its residents (The Turner, Ingersoll, and Upton Families), its founder (Caroline Emmerton), and its literary associate (Nathaniel Hawthorne) and his family. There are a number of manuscripts by Caroline Emmerton, the founder of The House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association, some documents associated with Judge John Hathorne and photographs of Salem’s Pioneer Village, once owned by The Gables. There is also a sizable collection of decorative pieces spanning periods from 1650 to 1870. Questions about the collection and researching them can be directed to the Collections Care Specialist, Kristen Cunha, at kcunha@7gables. org or by calling 978-744-0991 x123.

6 The Witch House

The Witch House, at the intersection of North Street and Essex Street has some research material- several binders of copied information- mostly floor plans and plans for reconstructions of certain parts of the house, but all of the original documents are from the City of Salem. The primary resource at The Witch House are the guides, who are well educated in the history of the Witchcraft trials and witchcraft beliefs.

Figure 5: The Witch House, July 2015

7 Cemeteries (in rough chronological order) -

Old Burying Ground, 51 Charter Street Established 1637 Earliest extant stone: 1673

Essex Street Cemetery (Friends Burial Ground), 396 1/2 Essex Street Established c. 1700 Earliest extant stone: 1702

St. Peter’s Episcopal Cemetery, 24 St. Peter Street Figure 6: The Howard Street Cemetery, January 2015

8 Howard Street Cemetery, Harmony Grove Cemetery, 29 Howard Street, 30 Grove Street Established 1801 Established 1840

Broad Street Cemetery, St. Mary’s Cemetery, 5 Broad Street 226 North Street Established 1655 Established 1849 Earliest extant stone: 1685

Greenlawn Cemetery, 57 Orne Street, Established 1807

Figure 7: Captain John Bertram Memorial, Harmony Grove Cemetery, 1882, September 2015

9 Other Historic Houses

There are a great number of houses in Salem of historic value, spread out across the entire city. They can be an overlooked source of research information. When it comes to photographing historic buildings for research, a good guide is available online from Marvin Bartel, a Professor Emeritus from Goshen College, which is available at https://people.goshen.edu/~marvinpb/archit.htm.

Figure 8: Derby House, 1762, February 2016

10 Outside of Salem

Beverly Historical Society

The Beverly Historical Society is located in the John Cabot House at 117 Cabot Street in Beverly, right across the Beverly-Salem Bridge from Salem. Beverly was part of Salem until 1668, and Beverly’s history afterwards has direct bearing on the history of Salem. The research library there is open Tuesday and Saturday, 9:30-4 PM, and Wednesday 1-9 PM. There is a $10 research fee. Their website is http://www. beverlyhistory.org/.

Danvers Archival Center, The Peabody Institute Library of Danvers

Danvers was part of Salem for even longer than Beverly, until 1757. The collections of Danvers history from the Danvers Historical Society are located at the Danvers Archival Center, in the Peabody Institute Library of Danvers, located at 15 Sylvan Street in Danvers. Research is by appointment only. They can be reached at 978-774-0554. It is approximately a 15 minute drive from Salem. Their website is http://www. danverslibrary.org/archive/.

The Essex Society of Genealogists

The Essex Society of Genealogists is an association of professional and amateur genealogists interested in the genealogy of Essex County, Massachusetts. Its headquarters are at the Lynnfield Public Library. Research can be done in the Marcia Wiswall Lindberg Room, which has about 3000 volumes of genealogies and town histories. The Lynnfield Public Library is located at 18 Summer Street in Lynnfield. It is approximately a 20 minute drive from Salem. Their website is http://www.esog.org/.

11 Lynn Museum & Historical Society

While Lynn was its own town in the 17th century, rather than a part of Salem, it did border the original boundaries of Salem directly to the south. The history of Lynn is important to the history of Salem and Essex County. The Lynn Museum & Historical Society has an extensive collection relating to the history of Lynn. They receive research requests exclusively online. Their archives are located in Peabody with the collection of the Phillips Library. It is approximately a 20 minute drive from Salem. Their website is http://lynnmuseum.org/. Research requests can be found at http://lynnmuseum.org/about/research.

Marblehead Museum & Historical Society

Marblehead was its own community very early on, in 1629, but it is a community intimately linked to Salem in its history. The Marblehead Museum is headquartered at 121 Washington Street in Marblehead, while its archives are located 170 Washington Street. It is about a 15 minute drive. The archives, which cover the history of Marblehead, are available Tuesday to Friday, 10-4. Appointments six weeks in advance are recommended, and can be made by phone at 781-631-1768 or by email: [email protected]. Their website is http://www.marbleheadmuseum.org/archives.

12

Historic New England owns and operates 36 historic properties around New England, including two in Salem: the Phillips House on Chestnut Street, and the Gedney House on High Street. The library and archives of Historic New England are extensive, including an enormous amount of material on Salem. They are located in the Otis House at 141 Cambridge Street in the West End of . The archives are open Monday-Friday, 9:30-5:30. It is about a 40 minute drive from Salem, or about an hour with public transportation. It is in easy walking distance of North Station.

Appointments should be set up in advance by phone at 617-994-5946, or online at http://www. historicnewengland.org/collections-archives-exhibitions/library-archives/visiting-the-library- and-archives. More information about their collections and archives can be found at http://www. historicnewengland.org/collections-archives-exhibitions

Massachusetts State Archives and Massachusetts Historical Commission

Both the Massachusetts State Archives and the Massachusetts Historical Commission are located in the Columbia Point area of Boston, at 220 Morrissey Blvd. It’s about a 45 minute drive from Salem. The archives can be accessed by the Public Monday-Friday 8:30-4:30, though materials from the vault have to be returned by 4:15. The staff is very approachable and helpful.

13 The Massachusetts Historical Society

The Massachusetts Historical Society is the oldest historical society in the . It was founded in 1791, and has a wide variety of resources pertaining to the history of Salem. Its library and archives are located at 1154 Boylston Street in Boston, near Berklee College of Music. It is about at 40 minute drive from Salem. Access to the library is open with completion of visiting research status, which is not difficult to obtain in person. More information can be found at http://www.masshist.org/2012/library/visit.

Figure 9: Massachusetts Historical Society, April 2008 (Photo by Biruitorul)

14 Cemeteries (in Neighboring Communities) -

Beverly

Abbott Street Cemetery, Beverly Beverly Farms Cemetery, Beverly Central Cemetery, Beverly Dodge Row Cemetery, Beverly Green Family Burying Ground, Beverly North Beverly Cemetery, Beverly Old North Beverly Cemetery, Beverly Saint Mary’s Cemetery, Beverly

Figure 10: Grave of James Thissel, 1773, in the Abbott Street Cemetery, Beverly, December 2012 15 Danvers

Adams Street Cemetery, Danvers Ahabat Sholom Memorial Park, Danvers Ansche Sfard Cemetery, Danvers Berry Farm Cemetery, Danvers Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery, Danvers Danvers State Hospital Cemetery-Danvers Discalced Carmelite Monastery Cemetery-Danvers Ezrath Israel Cemetery, Danvers Goodale Cemetery, Danvers Holten Cemetery, Danvers Jacobs Private Burial Ground, Danvers Jewish Community Center of Chelsea Cemetery, Danvers Leech Cemetery, Danvers (1730-1780) Lydia Goodridge Gravesite, Danvers (1810) Nurse Homestead Cemetery, Danvers Old Settler’s Burying Ground, Danvers Pope Private Burial Ground, Danvers Porter’s Burial Ground, Danvers (1730-1780) Prince Burial Ground, Danvers (1730-1780) Putnam Cemetery, Danvers (1730-1780) Putnamville Burial Ground, Danvers Roumanian American Cemetery, Danvers Russell Family Cemetery, Danvers Saint Mary Cemetery, Danvers (1868) Saint Mary of the Annunciation, Danvers (1915)

16 Sons of Jacob Cemetery, Danvers Swinnerton Burial Ground, Danvers Temple Beth Shalom Cemetery, Danvers Temple Emanu-El of Marblehead, Danvers Temple Emanuel, Danvers Temple Sinai, Danvers Wadsworth Cemetery, Danvers Walmart Grove Cemetery, Danvers Walnut Hill, Danvers Xavarian Brothers Cemetery, Danvers

Lynn

Ahavas Achim Anshi Sfard Cemetery, Lynn Chevra Kadusha Cemetery, Lynn Eleazar Lindsey Gravesite-Lynn (1783) New Light Cemetery, Lynn Old East Burying Ground, Lynn Pine Grove Cemetery, Lynn (Mid-1800s) Pride of Lynn Cemetery, Lynn Saint Jean de Baptiste Cemetery, Lynn Saint Joseph Cemetery, Lynn Saint Joseph’s Cemetery, Lynn Saint Mary’s Cemetery, Lynn Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Churchyard, Lynn Sons of Abraham Cemetery, Lynn Western Burial Ground, Lynn 17 Marblehead

Old Burial Hill, Marblehead Saint Michael’s Episcopal Cemetery Green Street Cemetery, Marblehead Harborview Cemetery, Marblehead Hathaway Family Crypt, Marblehead (1838) Harris Street Cemetery, Marblehead (1730-1780) Hooper Tomb, Marblehead Star of the Sea Cemetery, Marblehead Temple Emanu-El of Marblehead, Danvers Unitarian Cemetery, Marblehead (1730-1780)

Peabody

Old South Cemetery, Peabody B’Nai Brith Cemetery, Peabody Beth El Cemetery, Peabody Brown Private Burial Ground, West Peabody Cedar Grove Cemetery, Peabody Curtis-Very Cemetery- Peabody Douty Cemetery-Peabody, 1816 Emerson Cemetery, Peabody Felton Burial Ground, Peabody Flint Burial Ground, Peabody, 1796 Independent Workman’s Circle Cemetery, Peabody Jacobs Family Cemetery, Peabody (1730-1780) James Marsh Cemetery Site, Peabody (1730-1780) John Marsh Cemetery Site, Peabody Jonathan Wilson Gravesite, Peabody 18 King Cemetery, Peabody (1730-1780) King-Hussey Cemetery, Peabody Larrabee Burial Ground, West Peabody Lebanon Cemetery, Peabody Maple Hill Cemetery, Peabody Marsh Private Burial Ground #1, Peabody Marsh Private Burial Ground #2, Peabody (1730-1780) Marsh Tomb, Peabody, 1844 Monumental Cemetery, Peabody, 1832 Nathaniel & Ruth Peabody Gravesite Needham Cemetery, West Peabody, 1801 Needham Cemetery, Peabody, 1806 Oak Grove Cemetery, Peabody Prescott Memorial, Peabody (1730-1780) Raddin Private Burying Ground, Peabody Revolutionary War Monument, Peabody, Modern Saint John’s Parochial School Fire Memorial, Peabody Taylor Cemetery, Peabody, 1825 Temple Shalom, Peabody Temple Tifereth, Peabody Temple Israel Cemetery, Peabody Twiss Family Private Cemetery, West Peabody

Swampscott

Swampscott Cemetery

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